Longing and avoidance are both in play in the lives of Liv and August, two single people at the cusp of middle age who meet while trying to help Santo, a young illegal immigrant, and his son find a place to live. The two circle about each other and eventually fall in love, but almost as quickly old patterns reassert themselves for both. These challenges must be acknowledged and a new way envisioned before the love Liv and August share can mature into something more durable.

Massacre tracks three intersecting narratives during and after a fictionalized recounting of the infamous Virginia Tech massacre. In each characters’ search of individual re-creation and autonomy, they encounter the failings of their person, their families, their institutions, and their country. Formed by the great and impossible trauma that bound them, massacre survivors Connor and Tara navigate the tricky and deceitful terrain of a marriage that should never have been.

In this thesis, an attempt is made to divide the Sepedi love story as 'light' reading matter into different subgenres. In order to do this, a distinction has to be made between 'light' and 'serious' reading matter. In short, this distinction amounts to the following: -- The love story as 'light' reading matter deals with problems of love that are resolved and the story ends on a happy mate. The conflict is between 'good' and 'bad' and the characters are portrayed accordingly and are hence flat characters. There is more emphasis on action than on characterisation. Suspense is built up by a series of problems that prevent the lovers from meeting each other. The problems are gradually resolved and the story has a happy ending. -- The love story as 'serious' reading literature emphasises problems in life rather than problems of love. The characters are portrayed fully in their exposure to the storm and stress of life. The love affair being depicted is headed for disappointment, and the ending is often tragic. In Sepedi literature, the love story as 'light' reading matter (or entertainment literature) is divided into five subgenres, i.e. the love story as (a) a moral story, (b) a subdivision of the detective story, the romantic mystery of Ramsdell (1999), (c) the ethnic or multicultural romantic story, (d) the historical love story, and (e) the true love story. In the love story as a moral story, there is a strong focus on the loyalty of the lovers. Where there is infidelity, the good relationship can only be restored if the guilty one received his punishment. Example of this are Noto-ya-Masogana (Tsebe, 1954), Morweši (Motuku, 1969), Tshehlana ya ka (Bosoma, 1990) and Sesasedi sa katlego (Kekana, 1990). In the love story as a subdivision of the detective story, the intrigue (of love) is used to intensify the secret in the detective story. Kekana's Nonyana ya Tokologo (1985) and Nnete Fela (1989) are two suitable examples in which the attitude of the heroine prevents a quick unravelling of the problem. In the ethnic or multicultural love story, the happy ending is delayed by the fact that the lovers do not belong to the same ethnic or cultural group and because the love affair is under social and cultural pressure. Megokgo ya Lethabo (1992) is an example of such a story in which the lovers are a Mopedi and a Motsonga respectively, and the young man's family was not at all in favour of the relationship. In the historical love affair, the conflict in the story is intensified by the difference between the traditional and the present-day outlook on life. This subgenre differs from the previous one in that the conflict originates within the same ethnic or cultural group and in that it is the result of the changes that have, amongst other things, been brought about by urbanisation. An example of this subgenre is Rafapa' s Leratosello (1978). The true love story shares many of its characteristics with the love story as a moral story, as the conflict is also between 'good' and 'bad' characters. In this subgenre there is, however, no place for peace; the 'good' is not used to emphasise the moral. Examples of this are Leratorato (Motuku, 1977), Lerato (Ramokgopa, 1978) and Le Lerato (Moloisie, 1986). / Thesis (DLitt (African Languages))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / African Languages / unrestricted

A close look at the first literary works in European countries reveals that love stories and the theme of romance took prominence among the authors of the time. French authors are a good example of writers of these love stories. An in-depth study shows that different and/or supporting themes or series of events accompany the main love story in these stories. This trend is supported by Cuddon (1977:758) by emphasizing that in these early writings it was the trend to combine an adventure story aspect with the love story. Lewis (1960:23) supports Cuddon’s view in stating that Chréstien de Troyes was the first writer in France to apply love as a main theme for a love story. Funk and Wagnalls’s New Encyclopedia (1876:344) bears out Cuddon’s idea of combining various series of events (love and moral) in the same writing and explains that a love story should enhance two views of what the writing is about, in this case (a) the love aspect and (b) the moral aspect. The trend of combining themes, where one theme supplements the main theme in the same writing, also exists in Sepedi literature. Examples are Noto-ya-Masogana (Tsebe,1954) and Morweši (Motuku,1969). It will, be important and necessary to explain the love story and the moral story first. Cuddon states that the idea of having a variety of series of events supporting the main theme of the narrative is visible where a love story is a two-in-one narrative, relating love and moral, such as in Sir Gawain and Green Knight (14th C.). This demonstrates the importance of a love story. This fact led Yelland et al (1984:161) to state, in support of the important role of character, that love and moral are evidence of chivalry, such as that found in Morte D’Arthur (Malory,1470). Character or chivalry depicts the impeccable manners of the main characters of the love story. This combination of love and moral can also be seen in Sepedi writing, such as Noto-ya-Masogana (Tsebe,1954), Morweši (Motuku,1969), Tshehlana ya ka (Bosoma,1990) and Sesasedi sa katlego (Kekana,1990). Before proceeding with a discussion on this type of love and moral story, it is important to explain the other types of stories as well. Research by Phala (1999:18) and Abrams (1998:98) describes the idea of character and conduct as what one finds, learns or acquires at home, from the community, society or wherever one finds one’s self. The education acquired in this way gives birth to the basis of character, conduct and behaviour, be it good or bad. This should not be confused with formal school learning, but upbringing which is reinforced by cultural practices, religion and socialization, for example. This influences the complete person, including the soul. A person influenced in this manner becomes complete and can distinguish between good and bad, acceptable and unacceptable, as well as proper and improper, according to place and time. Marggraff (1994:14) stresses this distinction between the two opposing views of good and bad; desirable or acceptable on the one side and undesirable or unacceptable on the other. Groenewald (1994:20) also supports this view of right and wrong, stating that it gives us the understanding that bad, evil and wrong deeds or behaviour displeases the ancestors and can lead to punishment and misfortune for the character concerned. This encourages people to strive towards good deeds. It can, therefore, be concluded that humanity was meant to be and do good. Good deeds, behaviour and conduct are important and should be the goal, as depicted by the main character in the love story. The main character who does wrong things and changes his behaviour to good, is rewarded for being good with happiness, love, success and prosperity in his relationship with his partner. Viewed in this light, the importance of further examining and analyzing the love and moral story will be emphasized. In this type of story, where the main character does wrong things with which the reader does not approve or align himself, the reader’s curiosity will be aroused to read further in order to know what will happen to the main character at the end. Since there is always the anticipated element of punishment and reward for the main character present at the end of these types of love and moral stories, it serves as an attraction and magnet that hold the reader’s interest until the end. It also adds a moral value for the reader. Sepedi authors who write love stories are also on this bandwagon of combining love and moral themes in the same story, such as in Noto-ya-Masogana (Tsebe,1954) and Morweši (Motuku,1969). In order to establish the importance of combining love and moral or behaviour in the same love story, the following have been examined and researched in full: Tsebe’s Noto-ya-Masogana (1954) and Motuku’s Morweši (1969). This will be preceded by taking heed of the research and study results of these works already done by other critics. / Dissertation (MA (African Languages))--University of Pretoria, 2008. / African Languages / unrestricted

Critics and readers often consider Nicholas Sparks’ novel The Notebook to be a romance novel, while Sparks himself considers it a love story. Sparks claims that there are no similarities between the two genres. Therefore, this paper investigates the differences and similarities between the romance genre and the love story genre, while simultaneously exploring The Notebook’s storyline, the characterization, and the marketing surrounding the book in order to understand the novel’s classification. The purpose is to discover if The Notebook can be identified as a romance even if it never was Sparks’ intention. The only aspect that differs between the genres is how the ending is written, other than that there are no remarkable differences. There are also several elements that validates that The Notebook has romantic features. Both of the protagonists have romance characteristics, the cover of the novel is a characteristic romance cover, and the storyline itself is based on a romance structure and it follows all of the essential romance elements. The conclusion of this paper is that The Notebook has romance elements and therefore can be placed in the romance genre even if that never was Sparks’ intention.

1 Abstract The diploma thesis Fragments of a Love Story (in Photographs) focuses on visuality of a lover's speech; it follows various possible connections between the media of photography and text. In comparison with the disintegrating lover's discourse, as developed by Roland Barthes in A Lover's Discourse: Fragments, and in a dialogue with it, the thesis highlights love story as a traditional way of expressing a love theme. The elaboration of the topic is based on the interpretation of works written by Vasily Rozanov (Opavshie list'ya), Jakub Deml (Listy Jakuba Demla Otokaru Březinovi), Ludvík Vaculík (Český snář), Bohumil Hrabal (Vita nuova) and others. An appendix that includes the discussed photographs accompanies the thesis.

This thesis examines the debate between morality and aesthetics that is outlined by Nabokov in Lolita’s afterword. Incorporating a discussion of Lolita’s critical history in order to reveal how critics have chosen a single, limited side of the debate, either the moral or aesthetic, this thesis seeks to expose the complexities of the novel where morality and aesthetics intersect. First, the general moral and aesthetic features of Lolita are discussed. Finally, I address the two together, illustrating how Lolita cannot be categorized as immoral, amoral, or didactic. Instead, it is through the juxtaposition of form and content, parody and reality, that the intersection of aesthetics and morality appears, subverting and repudiating the voice of its own narrator and protagonist, evoking sympathy for an appropriated and abused child, and challenging readers to evaluate their own ethical boundaries.

This thesis identifies a trend in recent postmodern dystopian fiction for writers to metafictionally dwell on the place of literature in a future context. This trend springs from similar concerns present in the two most influential dystopian novels of the 20th century, Brave New World and Nineteen Eighty-Four. Yet, unlike Huxley and Orwell, for whom the marginalization of literature is merely one symptom of the hegemonic control oppressing these future societies, the postmodern writers I identify situate the book’s future disappearance at the epicenter of culture’s demise. In Gary Shteyngart’s Super Sad True Love Story (2010), electronic technologies have virtually eradicated print literature and the novel’s protagonist, Lenny, mourns the changes in social interactions he sees this shift in technology bringing about. In Jeanette Winterson’s The Stone Gods (2007), marginalized book-lovers see the devastation humanity continuously wreaks on the environment as a product of culture’s disdain for literature.

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Lentsoane uses the title of his narrative to highlight the theme. Special attention is paid to this. The suspense is captured in the clash between the traditional attitude to life held by the Bapedi and the modem philosophy of life held by the younger generation. Lentsoane effectively uses the concept of a journey to convey his message to his reader. The visit of the antagonist Kgoteledi to the homeland is especially important in this regard, as her family there is conservative and thus strongly supports her actions. But it is also here that she becomes aware of change. Other important techniques used by Lentsoane are: contrast, symbolism, shifting of focus, mirrorimages, naming, summary and retardation, foreshadowing, but also the reference to related matters. This latter technique has an important emphasising function. Although conflict is emphasised all the time, the climax is reached with the announcement that Mihloti, Dikgoneng's girlfriend, is pregnant. The mother (and therefore also the rest of the family) hereby accept that change has also become part of their lives. Kgoteledi comes to terms with the situation and passes away. AFRIKAANS : In hierdie verhandeling word Lentsoane se novelle, Megokgo ya Lethabo, as 'n liefdesverhaal besktyf waarin die liefdesverhouding tussen die minnaars nie deur die jongman se familie goedgekeur word nie, omdat die jong meisie lid van 'n ander etniese groep is. Die beskrywings model wat vir die ondersoek gevolg word, is 'n aangepaste narratologiese model. Boonop word slegs twee van die struktuurlae ondersoek, nl. die inhouds- en die samestellingslae. In die beskrywing van die inhoudslaag is die vier epiese elemente, karakter, handeling, tyd en plek, noukeurig nagegaan, en t.o.v. die onderwerp wat die outeur gekies het, beskryf. Die onderwerp bepaal die onderlinge verhouding tussen die verskillende karakters, en verdeel die handeling in drie groot aksiekategorieë, t.w. die liefdesverhouding, die besware van die jongman se familie, en die uiteindelike troue. Die tydsbegrip word omskryf in terme van 'n tydstip, tydsverloop en tydsomstandighede. Vir die beskrywing van die samestellingslaag van die werk is daar twee kernbegrippe wat uitgelig word, nl. die temabegrip en die tegniek begrip wat 'n verhoudingsbegrip is en nie eenduidig in verwysing is nie. Die tema wat hier vooropgestel word, is die van verandering, en slaan op die voortdurende verandering in die lewe van mense en kulture. Die karakter van die protagonis, Dikgoneng, word in terme van noodsaaklike en bykomende kenmerke beskryf. Die noodsaaklike kenmerke hou met die verhaalsoort of genre verband, terwyl die outeur met die bykomende kenmerke sy Ieser tot vereenselwiging met die protagonis oorhaal. Die antagonis word slegs t.o.v. die noodsaaklike kenmerke beskryf. Lentsoane gebruik die verhaaltitel as 'n belangrike outeursmiddel om die tema van sy werk na vore te bring. Besondere aandag word hieraan afgestaan. Die spanningselement lê opgevang in die botsing tussen die tradisionele lewensopvattings van die Bapedi en die modeme lewensbeskouing van die jong geslag. Lentsoane maak effektief van die reisbegrip gebruik om sy boodskap aan sy leer tuis te bring. Hier is dit veral die antagonis, Kgoteledi, se besoek aan die tuisland, wat belangrik is, omdat haar familie daar behoudende mense is, en haar dus in haar saak sterk steun. Maar dis dan ook hier waar sy van verandering bewus raak. Belangrike ander tegnieke wat Lentsoane gebruik, is kontrastering, simboliek, fokusverskuiwing, spieëlbeeldstelling, naamgewing, tydsversnelling en vertraging, vooruitskouring, maar veral die verwysing na verwante geleenthede wat 'n sterk beklemtoningsfunksie het. Hoewel konflik deurentyd aan die orde is, word die hoogtepunt met die aankondiging bereik dat Mihloti (Dikgoneng se nooi) swanger is. Die moeder (en daarom ook die res van die familie) aanvaar hiermee dat verandering ook deel van hulle lewens geword het. Kgoteledi berus haar hierin en sterwe. / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 1999. / African Languages / unrestricted